Can College Cause Conflicts?
by csvonb
Summary: Sequel to To Be A Friend. What happens when the group goes to college? Will they see old classmates? Will their friendships and relationships remain strong? Read to find out! Mainly focused on Gabi, Troy, Taylor, and Chad.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N- **The sequal! Yes! You don't really need to read my first story, To Be a Friend, to understand the sequal. You can if you would like to, though. Here ya go! Enjoy!

**Disclaimer- **I do not own High School Musical.

"Yes, yes, yes," Gabriella said. She crossed her fingers and closed her eyes and chanted the word "yes". In front of her was an envelope from Yale. She took three deep breaths then opened the envelope. She unfolded the letter and read,

"_Miss Gabriella Montez, _

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Yale University."_

That was it; Gabriella did not need to read anymore. She cheered at the top of her lungs, causing her mom to run in from the living room. "What's wrong, sweetie?" Ms. Montez (Elena) asked, worried.

"Nothing, mom! I got in!" Gabriella shrieked. She held up the letter. Elena took the letter and read it. Her eyes got wide and she covered her mouth with one hand.

"That's wonderful!" Elena exlclaimed. She and Gabriella squealed and jumped up and down.

"Oh my gosh! I can't believe this! I have to go call Taylor!" Gabriella said. Elena nodded and Gabriella ran up to her room.

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"Open it, honey," Anne McKessie urged her daughter. Anne, Dan, the two-year-olds, Aaron and James, and Taylor were all in the living room. They were in chairs and on the couch around the coffee table. On the coffee table was an envelope from Columbia University. Taylor looked at her dad, who nodded. Taylor's hands trembeled as she reached for the letter. She grabbed it and began to open it. She took a deep breath then unfolded the letter. She read it to herself,

"_Miss Taylor McKessie, _

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Columbia University."_

She didn't read any farther. She had read all that she needed to know. She looked up at her parents and brothers and smiled. "I got in!" she squealed. Anne shrieked and hugged Taylor. Dan smiled and hugged her too. Aaron and James got the idea that they should be doing something nice for their sister too, so they walked over to her and each gave her a kiss on one cheek.

"Oh, thanks guys," she said and hugged the two boys. Aaron and James smiled.

"Oh my gosh! I have to call Gabi!" Taylor shrieked. She still couldn't believe that she made it in. Just then the phone rang. Taylor answered it.

"Hello?" Taylor asked.

"Taylor?" Gabriella said.

"Gabi?" Taylor replied.

"Aah! I have great news!" Gabriella shrieked.

"Me too!" Taylor announced.

"You first," they said in unison.

"Okay, I'll go first. Taylor, I'm going to YALE!" Gabriella announced.

"No way! That's awesome. Especially since I got into COLUMBIA!" Taylor replied.

"No way! We'll only be about an hour and a half apart. We can still have our movie nights with the popcorn and the nail painting and the ice cream and the candy…" Gabriella listed all they did on their movie night/ sleepover until Taylor cut her off.

"Gabs, I get it. But, yes, we will be able to hang out still! This rocks! We're going to awesome colleges and are less than two hours away from each other," Taylor said.

"I have to call Troy," Gabriella said.

"Yeah, I have to call Chad!" Taylor replied.

"Talk to you later! Bye!" the girls said in unison then giggled and hung up.

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Troy was sitting in the Bolton's living room. He had an envelope from UConn in front of him. "Well, better sooner than later," he said and opened it.

"_Mr. Troy Bolton,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to the University of Connecticut,"_

"Yes!" he whispered. "Dad, mom, I got in!" he shouted to his parents.

"That's awesome, Troy," Jack said.

"Sweetie, that's great!" Lisa (Mrs. Bolton) agreed.

"I'm going to call Chad," Troy announced and went to his room.

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Chad was outside shooting free throws in his driveway when his mom approached him with a letter.

"What's that?" Chad asked.

"A letter from St. John's University," Katherine (Mrs. Danforth) replied.

"Sweet! Can I open it?"

"Yes. You don't have to wait for your father, he's going to be home late from work." Chad nodded and then reached to open it.

"Here I go," he said.

"Good luck," Katherine said.

"Thanks," he replied and opened it.

"_Mr. Chad Danforth,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to St. John's University"_

"So?" Katherine asked. Chad made a great deal of sighing, hanging his head, and hunching his shoulders. "Oh no," Anne said. Chad looked up and smiled.

"I GOT IN!" Chad replied. Anne put her hand to her heart.

"Chad Danforth, you scared me! Don't ever do that again." Chad laughed.

"Sorry, mom." Katie laughed and hugged Chad.

"Congratulations, sweetie," she said. Chad's cell phone began to ring.

"Oh! It's Troy, I have to take this," Chad said. Katie nodded and went back inside.

"Sup?" Chad asked.

"I got into UConn! How about you?" Troy replied.

"I got into St. Johns University!" Chad said.

"Dude, that's great! We both got into top basketball colleges!" Troy said.

"I know, dude, it's awesome!" Chad agreed. Chad's cell phone began beeping. "I have to go, man. Call waiting.

"Okay, bye," Troy said. Chad hung up and looked at the caller id. Taylor was calling.

"Hey, Taylor," Chad said as he picked up the phone.

"Hey! Guess what?" Taylor said.

"What?" Chad asked.

"I have good news!" Taylor said in a sing-song voice.

"So do I!" Chad replied.

"I'm going to Columbia University!" Taylor announced.

"That's awesome, Taylor! I knew you would!"

"What's your news?"

"I'm going to St. John's University!"

"Oh my gosh, Chad! That's awesome!"

"The best part is we'll be able to see each other!"

"I know! I was so worried of losing you!"

"So was I!" Chad agreed. Taylor and Chad continued talking about colleges and then made plans for later that night.

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After hanging up from his call with Chad, Troy sat down on the couch and watched TV. His cell phone began to ring. He looked at who was calling, Gabi.

"Gabi!" Troy greeted her when he answered the phone.

"Troy!" Gabriella squealed.

"I guess you have good news?" Troy asked.

"Yeah! I'm going to Yale University!" Gabriella shrieked.

"No way! That's awesome! And guess what?"

"What?"

"I'm going to UConn!"

"Oh my gosh! That's great! Do you know what this means?"

"What?"

"Troy, we're going to be able to see each other!"

"I knew that we would, Gabi!"

"Yeah, I knew that we would too. Anyways, I have to go now! I love you!"

"I love you too, Gabi. Always and forever."

"Aaw! Thanks, Troy," Gabriella said, happy that he said that.

"Bye," Troy said and hung up the phone. He grabbed his basketball and ran to Chad's house. When he arrived there, Chad was still on the phone. Troy motioned for Chad to play basketball with him and started to shoot free throws. Chad held up his finger signaling "one minute".

"Taylor, I'm sorry, I have to go. Troy's being annoying and wants me to play basketball with him," Chad said into the phone.

"Hah! Very mature, Chad!" Troy said and rolled his eyes. Chad shushed him.

"So, Tay, I'll meet you tonight for a celebratory movie of your choice and dinner?" Chad asked.

"Yup!" Taylor replied.

"Okay, I'll pick you up at seven, okay?"

"Perfect. I love you, Chad!"

"I love you too!"

"I love you more!"

"Not possible. I love you more!"

"No! I love you more!"

"No! I love you more!" Chad said.

"Okay! We get it! You both love each other a lot! Now hang up the phone and play basketball with me!" Troy said laughing.

"Bye, Tay. I'll see you in a couple of hours," Chad said and hung up the phone. He glared at Troy.

"What?" Troy asked innocently. He put on what he believed to be an innocent face. Chad laughed at his pitiful attempt.

"Let's go play ball!" Chad shouted, "What team?"

"WILDCATS!" Troy shouted back.

"WHAT TEAM?" Chad asked.

"WILDCATS!" Troy replied.

"WHAT TEAM?"

"WILDCATS!"

"Wildcats."

"Get your head in the game!"


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N- **I am sooooo sorry! I have a ton of schoolwork and a lot of extra-curricular activities to do. I hope you don't think that I abandoned you! Thanks for all of the reviewers on the first chapter! Please r&r. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer- **I do not own HSM.

Gabriella called all of the girls to come over to her house. A few minutes later, Kelsi, Taylor, and Jamie were knocking on the door.

"So, what's the reason for this gathering?" Kelsi asked.

"Well, I thought that since we only have a few days before college starts, and since those few days are going to be occupied with last minute packing and shopping, we should have some girl time before we go out with the boys tonight," Gabriella replied.

"I'm so excited to go to college!" Jamie squealed. She was leaving in two days to go to California. She had been accepted to Stanford University. Zeke and Jason were going out west too.

"We're going to miss you, Jamie. You're going to be on the complete opposite side of the country!" Taylor said. Kelsi had also been accepted to Julliard School in New York.

"So, what should we do?" Gabriella asked.

"Gabi, you tell us to come over, then have no idea what we're going to do?" Taylor fake-scolded her.

"How about we go shopping?" Kelsi suggested.

"No, that just means I have more to pack," Jamie disagreed. Gabriella and Taylor agreed with Jamie.

"I really feel in the mood to watch the Little Mermaid. Anyone else?" Taylor said.

"Okay, I have it in my room. Do you guys want to see it?" Gabriella asked Jamie and Kelsi.

"Yeah, sure," Kelsi said. Jamie nodded.

"Okay, I have to leave in an hour though, Gabs," Jamie said.

"Why?" Gabriella asked.

"Zeke and I are going to explore more of the town. I haven't really been anywhere except for some of our favorite shops, the mall, movie theatre, and pizza place," Jamie replied.

"That's nice," Kelsi said.

"Ah hah! I found the movie!" Taylor announced.

"Yes!" Gabriella said and ran to the couch as Taylor put the movie in. The other three girls settled themselves on the couch or on the chairs in the living room. Around the middle of the movie, Jamie left. The conversation switched to boyfriends.

"Do you think my relationship with Jason is going to last? I mean, he's going all the way to California and I am going out East," Kelsi asked, "I'm just worried. What if he finds a girl who's prettier, and smarter, and more creative?"

"Don't worry, Kels, that won't happen! Jason is madly in love with you. A few miles won't break up your relationship," Taylor replied.

"You and Gabi are not at all nervous about your relationships?" Kelsi asked.

"Not really. Both of our boyfriends are going to be less than two hours away. We will be able to see them every weekend," Gabriella replied.

"Arg! You guys are so lucky!" Kelsi said.

"So, what do you guys want to do now?" Taylor asked.

"How about a manicure?" Gabriella offered. The two other girls nodded. Gabriella grabbed her keys and the girls exited the house.

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Jason, Chad, and Troy were sitting in Chad's living room. Zeke had already left to meet Jamie. They had played basketball in Chad's driveway, and now they were bored with that and decided to talk about their colleges and their girlfriends.

"Do you guys think I should break up with Kelsi?" Jason asked.

"WHAT?" Troy and Chad asked.

"Why would you want to do that?" Troy inquired.

"Well, I am going to be in California, and she's going to be in New York," Jason replied.

"That's no excuse," Chad said. Troy nodded.

"Yeah, you love her and she loves you, very much," Troy added.

"And, there's always Thanksgiving, Christmas, stuff like that," Chad continued.

"So, you really think that our relationship will last and stay strong?" Jason asked.

"Yeah," Troy said. Chad nodded.

"So I shouldn't break up with her?" Jason asked.

"Of course you shouldn't!" Troy replied. Chad shook his head.

"Man! It's almost time to go pick the girls up!" Chad said, looking at his watch.

"Okay, Gabi called earlier saying that the girls were at her house. We'll leave in a few minutes," Troy replied. They talked for a little bit longer then got into their cars and drove to Gabriella's house.

**A/N- **Sorry! That was pretty short! I will try to write longer chapters from now on, but this was as much as I could write at the moment.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N- **Sorry about the lack of updating!!! I really feel badly! I was in a musical and did not have any time to write because of it. I'll try to update more frequently. Thanks so much to all of my awesome reviewers! Your reviews mean so much to me! Please r&r. Flames are completely welcome.

**Disclaimer- **I do not own HSM.

Zeke was waiting for Jamie in the gazebo in the park. Jamie was half an hour late. He was about ready to call her when he heard hurried footsteps. "Hey," Jamie greeted Zeke.

"Hey!" Zeke replied enthusiastically.

"Sorry I'm late. I was on the phone with my mom," Jamie said.

"That's okay," Zeke replied. He leaned in to kiss her, except she pulled back. "What's that matter?" Zeke asked, concerned.

"Zeke, I have been accepted to Oxford. It's totally last minute. I'm going to England," Jamie replied.

"No way! That's awesome! Why aren't you happier?" Zeke asked.

"Zeke," Jamie started. She took a deep breath but didn't say anything.

"Yes?"

"I think we should break up."

"What! Why?"

"We're going to be so far away. I just think that it would be for the better. I'm sorry, Zeke."

"Come on, Jamie! We could make this work!"

"Zeke, no. I think it's time that we see other people. I'm sorry. I really am."

"Yeah, okay, bye."

"Bye, Zeke. Thanks for everything. Thanks for being so understanding, too," Jamie said. Zeke nodded then got up. He walked back to his car and drove to Gabriella's house.

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"Taylor, Kelsi, the boys are here!" Gabriella announced when she heard the doorbell ring. She opened the door, and was surprised to see that Zeke was standing there instead of Troy, Chad, and Jason.

"Hey, Gabi," Zeke said and smiled weakly.

"Hey, Zeke. What's up? Aren't you supposed to be with Jamie?" Gabriella asked.

"Nope," Zeke replied plainly.

"Why not?"

"She broke up with me."

"WHAT?"

"She's going to Oxford. She doesn't want to deal with the long distance relationship and she wants to see new people."

"Oh, Zeke, I am so sorry!"

"Yeah, me too. Are Troy, Chad, and Jason here? I wanted to talk to them, but didn't go to Chad's house because I thought they would be here by now," Zeke asked.

"Nope, they're not here yet," Gabriella replied.

"Oh, sorry," Zeke said.

"No, it's totally fine! Can I get you anything?" Gabriella asked.

"Can I have a glass of water, please?" Zeke replied.

"Sure," Gabriella nodded and went into the kitchen. A few minutes later, she returned with water for him.

"Thanks," Zeke said. Gabriella nodded.

"We're here!" Taylor announced.

"But they're not," Kelsi added.

"Hello, Zeke," Taylor said, "What are you doing here?"

"Jamie dumped me," Zeke replied.

"Why?" Kelsi asked. Gabriella gave her a look saying that she would explain everything later. Just then, the doorbell rang. Taylor opened the door, revealing Troy, Chad, and Jason.

"The boys are here," Taylor announced.

"Hey guys!" Gabriella greeted them. Kelsi waved and Zeke nodded.

"Zeke, why are you here?" Troy asked.

"Gabi will explain later," Taylor whispered to the three boys.

"So, how about mall then pizza then a movie?" Chad offered.

"Sounds good to me!" Kelsi said. Gabriella and Taylor agreed.

"What about you, Zeke?" Taylor asked.

"I don't want to be a bother to you guys," Zeke replied.

"Zeke, you're our best friend. You're no bother to us at all!" Gabriella assured him.

"Then I'm in," Zeke said. Gabi hugged him.

"Don't worry, Zeke. You'll get over it. Someday, I promise you, you'll find the perfect someone. You'll find her," Gabriella replied.

**A/N- **Sorry, I couldn't think of a way to continue this chapter. I'm going to try to update soon.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N-** Thanks for all the reviews for the last chapter. I'm going to make this one longer, the last chapter was really short, sorry. Please read and review! Also, I now have a profile, and it has a summary of each of my fanfics, and ideas for my new fanfics and stuff. Please check it out. One of the ideas is a one or two-shot story about the prom. Please tell me yes or no. Thanks. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer- **I do not own High School Musical.

Gabriella walked through the large Yale Campus along with the other freshmen. She stood right next to their student guide, Abby Kyle, not wanting to miss a thing. Gabriella had a notebook in hand and was drawing herself a little map and description of the campus. Abby saw everyone was begging to tire out.

"Okay, everyone, take a five minute coffee break and meet back here, okay?" Abby said. The students nodded and separated, going to a coffee cart. Gabriella sat on a near-by bench and Abby sat down next to her. "So, what's your name?" Abby asked.

"Gabriella, it's nice to meet you," Gabriella replied.

"You too. So, Gabriella, how do you like Yale, so far?" Abby asked.

"Yes, the campus is beautiful! The school is so interesting! I can't wait until classes begin. I am so excited," Gabriella replied excitedly.

"It's great to see such enthusiasm. This school is great. I have had such a great time so far. I'm now beginning my Junior year. I think you're going to have a great experience," Abby said. She got up from the bench as two blondes, a boy and a girl, came back to the group. The two looked very familiar to Gabriella.

"Mom, when are you going to send out my pair of Chanel pumps?" Gabriella heard the blonde girl saying into her phone. "What? Two weeks! I need them now! … But mom … ugh fine! … Bye mom!" The blonde girl hung up. She turned to the blonde boy who was laughing silently. "What are you laughing at, Ryan?" she asked, the blonde boy became silent.

"Um, nothing, Sharpay," he mumbled. _"Oh, no!"_ Gabriella thought, _"It CAN'T be them! It just CAN'T be!" _Gabriella tried to hide her face and focused her attention on the nearest tree.

"Hey, Gabriella, the rest of the group is here, you coming?" Abby asked. Both blondes' heads snapped to the girl Abby was talking too. Gabriella groaned inside but faked a smile and nodded.

"Oh my gosh, Ryan, look who it is! Gabriella, it's been too long!" Sharpay said fake-sweetly. Walking over to Gabriella and giving her a light hug.

"Ugh, but not long enough," Gabriella mumbled quietly.

"What did you say?" Sharpay asked, pulling back.

"Oh, I was just agreeing with you!" Gabriella lied. Sharpay smiled. "Hey, Ryan," Gabriella greeted Ryan, who also came over and hugged her lightly.

"Hey, Gabriella," Ryan replied.

"Okay, guys, we're going to continue our tour now," Abby said, noticing the awkward situation for Gabriella. Gabriella smiled gratefully and hurried towards Abby. Sharpay gave her a glare and began to flirt with an athletic, good-looking guy. Ryan, on the other hand, caught up to Gabriella and Abby.

"So, have you kept in contact with anyone from High School?" Ryan asked, trying to start up a conversation.

"Yup. Troy and I are still an item. He's going to a college not far from here, so that's good. Taylor is still my best friend, as is Chad. Those two are still going out. They're near here too. Zeke and Jamie broke up. Zeke and Jason are in CA. Kelsi is in NY, which is bad because now she and Jason have to deal with a long distance relationship," Gabriella replied.

"Ah, the whole gang," Ryan observed. Gabriella nodded.

"So, have you kept in contact with any of your friends?" she asked.

"No, not really. I didn't have any friend, thanks to Sharpay. Everyone thought that since she was mean, I would be mean as well. I haven't had any real friends since the third grade. I am a good guy, though, Gabriella, I am," Ryan replied. Gabriella felt badly for Ryan.

"I believe that," she said. Gabriella looked in front of her and realized that they were at the Dining Hall. She checked her watch and saw that it was almost noon.

"Okay, everyone, we're going to have an hour-long lunch break and then we're going to meet back her. You can eat here or wherever you choose, as long as you're back her by one o'clock," Abby said. The group split up, Ryan looked around and saw Sharpay walking towards the door with the guy who she was flirting with earlier.

"So I guess it's a table for one, for me," Ryan said.

"Nope, table for two. Come on, let's go eat," Gabriella corrected.

"Really?" Ryan asked.

"Yep," Gabriella replied. Ryan smiled.

"I checked out the campus and off-campus a week ago. I found this really awesome place that's only a fifteen-minute walk away. Do you want to go there?" Ryan asked. Gabriella nodded and followed Ryan. The place where Ryan and Gabriella went to eat was a nice diner very close to Yale **(not sure if there is a diner that close, it's possible)**. They were seated by a waitress in a booth near the window. Gabriella ordered a ginger ale and Ryan ordered a coke.

"To new friends," Gabriella said. Ryan smiled.

"New friends," Ryan repeated and they clinked their soda glasses. Gabriella's cell phone rang.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Hey, Gabs, it's me," Troy said. Gabriella's eyes lit up.

"Hey, you!" Gabriella replied. Ryan mouthed _"Troy?"_. Gabriella nodded and Ryan smiled. She signaled "one minute" to Ryan, who nodded, and walked outside. "What are you doing?" Gabriella asked Troy.

"I'm eating, what are you doing?" Troy replied.

"Same. I'm having lunch with Ryan," Gabriella said.

"Ryan?" Troy repeated.

"Oh yeah! Ryan and Sharpay are attending Yale," Gabriella said, adding a little bit of attitude when she said "Sharpay", "Sharpay is still Sharpay, but Ryan is a lot different than I thought he would be, he's actually really nice."

"Yeah, I know."

"How?"

"Ryan used to be Chad's and my best friend. We were the threesome and spent every minute together. In the third grade, that all changed. Sharpay began to become the ice-queen and all controlling. We began to see less and less of Ryan because Sharpay signed the two of them up for concerts, plays, and musicals."

"Oh, that's so sad!"

"Yeah."

"I think I have to go now, Troy," Gabriella said.

"Oh, do you have to?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I'll see you this weekend, though. I promise I'll call you later tonight," Gabriella replied.

"Okay. I love you!" Troy said.

"Love you too! Bye!" Gabriella replied and hung up. She walked back inside to join Ryan. He was on the phone too. When he saw Gabriella coming, he made to hang up.

"I have to go now, Sharpay, I'll see you later," Ryan said and hung up quickly. He greeted Gabriella with a smile. The waitress, seeing that Gabriella had returned, came to take their orders. Gabriella ordered a cheeseburger and Ryan ordered the same. They ate and talked, then hurried back to the dining hall at twelve forty-five. When they returned to the hall, Ryan went to go talk to Sharpay, and Gabriella walked up to Abby.

"Where to next?" Gabriella asked eagerly. Abby laughed.

"Okay, everone, we're going to head over, now, to the dorm buildings. I know you already have your key, and already know which building you are in. You have probably already unpacked too. The rest of the day, until three thirty, is for getting to know your new roommate. At three thirty, we will meet at the Mail Hall and explore off campus," Abby announced. To Gabriella, she asked, "Which floor are you on?"

"Building number three, floor three, room thirty-two," Gabriella replied **(All of the freshmen girls are in building three, boys in four. Not sure if in real life, but in this story.)**

"Cool! I'm on that floor too, room thirty-four. We're next to each other. I'm the student advisor this year and next year for the girls in your class **(not sure if there really is one)**," Abby said.

"That's awesome," Gabriella replied.

"So, are you one of the lucky people who got themselves a single room, or do you have a roommate?" Abby asked.

"I have a roommate, don't know who she is yet, though," Gabriella answered.

The rest of the walk was passed by Gabriella asking Abby questions about Yale, and Abby answering them. When they arrived at the dorms, Gabriella and the other girls began to climb the stairs. Many of the girls exited the staircase when they reached the first or second floor, but Gabriella began to panic when she saw that Sharpay was still climbing too. She groaned inwardly when she saw that Sharpay exited the staircase right after she did. _"She can't be!" _Gabriella thought.

**A/N-** Haha, semi-cliffie. Will Gabi's roommate be Sharpay, or not. Only I know. You will have to read the next chapter, coming soon, to find out. Please review!


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N- **Thanks so much to all of the people who reviewed my last chapter. I love reading the reviews. Enjoy the chapter!

Gabriella walked to her door and unlocked it. She let out a relieved sigh when she saw that Sharpay went to room 37. She walked into the dorm's den and sat down on the couch. A few minutes later, Gabriella heard the jiggling of keys in the doorknob. Her roommate walked into the den. Gabriella smiled.

"Hi, I'm Gabriella Montez," Gabriella said, extending her hand.

"Arden Stevens," the girl replied, shaking Gabriella's hand. Gabriella took a close look at her new roommate. She had chin-length auburn-colored hair, green eyes, and was around the same height as Gabriella. She was wearing faded jeans and a blue and black striped ¾ sleeved sweater.

By 3:20, Gabriella knew a lot about her new roommate. Arden was really nice and shared a lot of Gabriella's interests. Like Gabriella, Arden enjoyed music and the theatre. Unlike Gabriella, Arden was very skilled in English, whereas Gabriella was more skilled in chemistry and math. Gabriella and Arden walked to the Main Hall, where they met up with Abby, Ryan and the rest of the group.

"Hey, Abby," Gabriella said, "this is my roommate, Arden. Arden, this is Abby. She's our student advisor for this year and next. Arden held out her hand and Abby shook it.

"So, how do you like Yale so far?" Abby asked.

"The campus is awesome. I can't wait to start," Arden replied. Abby laughed.

"You and Gabriella sound so much alike when it comes to Yale," Abby said. Arden and Gabriella smiled. Ryan walked up to Gabriella, Arden, and Abby.

"Hey," he greeted them.

"Hey, Ryan," Gabriella replied. Abby nodded and Arden waved.

"Who's this?" Ryan asked, acknowledging Arden.

"Oh! This is my roommate Arden. Arden, this is Ryan. He's a friend from my High School, over there is his twin sister, Sharpay," Gabriella said, pointing to Sharpay.

"Nice meeting you," Arden said, holding out her hand.

"The pleasure is all mine," Ryan replied, shaking her hand and smiling. Arden blushed. Arden realized that they had been holding hands for a long time and blushed deeper. She then started a conversation with Ryan. Gabriella smiled at them and then walked up to Abby, leaving the two to talk.

"Hmm, playing matchmaker, are we?" Abby asked Gabriella once she approached. Gabriella put on an innocent face.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," she said. The two girls burst out laughing. Abby led the group to the off campus and began the tour. Once they got back, Gabriella decided to call Taylor, whose college experience began the next day. Troy's began in two days, as did Chad's. Gabriella grabbed her phone and dialed her best friend's cell phone number. Taylor picked up in the third ring.

"Hey, Gabs," Taylor greeted Gabriella.

"Hey, Tay," Gabriella replied.

"So, how was your first day?" Taylor asked.

"Awesome! The campus rocks, and I made three friends."

"Cool, who?"

"The student advisor, Abby, my roommate, Arden, and Ryan Evans."

"Ryan Evans?"

"Yeah, he and Sharpay go to Yale."

"Oh no! I'm so sorry!"

"It's fine. So far, I haven't seen much of Sharpay, and Ryan is actually really nice. He's a cool guy, and I think he's taken an interest in my roommate."

"Oh, matchmaking again, are we?"

"Haha, yeah. You know it! So, are you excited for your first day at Columbia?"

"Oh, yeah!"

"Well, I have to go. I have to call Troy! I'll talk to you tomorrow and see you, Chad, and Troy this weekend!" Gabriella said.

"Totally! Ttyl!" Taylor replied. Gabriella hung up the phone and dialed Troy's number.

"Hello?" Troy's voice came on the line.

"Hey, Troy!" Gabriella said.

"Hey, Gabster," Troy replied, "So, how was your first day at Yale?"

"Great! I have three friends now, Ryan, my student advisor, Abby, and my roommate Arden."

"Sweet, that's awesome."

"So, how's Albuquerque without me?"

"Lonely, dull."

"Aaw, you miss me!"

"Of course. I miss you so much!"

"I miss you too!"

"Gabster, Chad wants to talk to you," Troy said. Gabriella smiled.

"Well, put him on!" she replied.

"Hey, Gab Gab!" Chad said.

"Hey Chad, what's up?" Gabriella replied.

"Well, my sister just came back from college."

"That's cool. Tell her I say hi."

"Will do. We miss you here Gab. You're like a sister to me, so it's odd not having you here. Troy is missing you like crazy," Chad said. Gabriella laughed when she heard a "hey" in the background. "Well, Troy, it's true!" Chad said aside to Troy.

"Haha, miss you too," Gabriella replied, "I have to go, now. Arden, my awesome new roommate, and I are going to watch a movie. Tell Troy I love him," Gabriella said.

"Gabi loves you," Gabriella heard Chad say to Troy. "Troy loves you too," Chad said to Gabriella. She laughed.

"Bye, Chad," she said.

"Bye, Gabs, see you this weekend!" Chad replied. Gabriella hung up the phone. She exited her room and knocked on Arden's door.

"You ready for the movie?" Gabriella asked. Arden opened the door and nodded.

"Oh yeah! Lord of the Rings time!" Arden replied. The two had decided that they would watch an hour of Lord of the Rings each night, starting with the Fellowship of the Ring, until they were done with the trilogy, then they would start with Harry Potter, then other good movie series. After about half an hour of the movie, Arden paused the movie and turned to face Gabriella.

"Hey, Gabriella?" she asked.

"You can call me Gabi," Gabriella replied.

"Okay, Gabi, I have a question."

"Shoot."

"Ryan's your friend, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"What's he like?"

"Well, he's really nice, funny, talented, and sweet."

"Not to mention cute," Arden added. Gabriella laughed.

"Why do you ask?" Gabriella asked. Arden blushed. "Has someone taken an interest in Ryan?"

"Maybe…" Arden replied, "but I just met him. Is it stupid for me to have an interest in him?"

"No, it isn't. You know what, we'll hang out with him tomorrow and we'll see what happens," Gabriella said.

"Okay, thanks!" Arden said and smiled. Gabriella smiled too. Arden pressed play on the movie and they continued watching Lord of the Rings.

**A/N-** I was never going to have Sharpay and Gabriella as roommates. I just thought it made a good end to the last chapter. Please R&R. Open to flames too!


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N-** It's Taylor time! Taylor's first day at Columbia. Thanks for the reviews for my last chapter. Here's the new one, enjoy!

**Disclaimer- **I do not own HSM

Taylor nervously twirled her hair between her thumb and forefinger. She looked around at the two other students who were also showed up early for the campus tour, one boy, and one girl. The boy caught her eye and smiled nervously, then approached her.

"Hey, I'm Shaun," he said.

"Taylor," she replied, holding out her hand. He shook it and both relaxed a bit.

"This is my twin sister, Reese," Shaun said, motioning for Reese to come join them.

"Hey," Reese said, extending her hand.

"Hey, I'm Taylor," Taylor replied, shaking it. The three began to have a conversation about where they would like their college experience to go, and which career interested them. Shaun wanted to be an orthopedic surgeon and Reese was interested in marketing. Taylor wished to be a chemist. They got so wrapped up in the subject of studies, that they didn't notice that their student guide had arrived. Taylor had become very enthusiastic about exploring the campus.

"Where is that student guide? I want to see the campus!" Taylor whined.

"He's here, and has been here for the past fifteen minutes," the student replied. Taylor looked up to see a familiar boy with wild hair.

"Can we start?" Taylor asked eagerly, still pondering where she knew the person from.

"No, Taylor, we can't yet. We still have thirteen students that we need to wait for," the person replied. _"How does he know my name?" _Taylor wondered. Then it clicked.

"Oh my gosh! Is that you? David? David Danforth?" Taylor asked.

"Haha, you remember me," David replied then went over to give Taylor a friendly hug. David was Chad's cousin. Taylor had met David the summer of the first year she and Chad started going out.

"It's hard not to identify the famous Danforth hair," Taylor replied, pointing to his bushy hair. David laughed. "Why didn't Chad tell me you attended college here?"

"He wanted to surprise you, so you would know one person when you came," David replied. Taylor smiled.

"That's sweet. I'll have to call him later," she said.

"Oh, by the way, your student advisor is my girlfriend, Tessa, she's supposed to be coming soon to help with the tour," David said.

"Cool," Taylor replied. David spotted some new students and went up to introduce himself. Taylor returned to Shaun and Reese.

"Who was that?" Reese asked.

"My boyfriend's cousin, David. He's giving us the tour, and he's the student advisor for the boys of the class of 2012," Taylor replied, "His girlfriend, Tessa, is the student advisor for the girls. She's going to be joining us on the tour too." Reese and Shaun nodded.

"Okay class of 2012, It's time to begin your tour," David announced. Taylor smiled then hurried to stand next to him, so she could hear everything.

"Oh, Tay, this is my girlfriend Tessa. Tessa, this is Chad's, my cousin, girlfriend, Taylor," David introduced the two. Tessa smiled and Taylor returned the smile, they shook hands. Tessa had long, wavy, sandy-colored hair. She was wearing skinny jeans with a purple tank-top and a light blue v-necked sweater.

The group began walking around Columbia's campus. David and Tessa alternated introducing buildings and important places. After the tour, the students were urged to go back to their rooms, finish unpacking, and get to know their new roommates. Taylor exchanged room numbers with Tessa and Reese, who were in the same building as she was, then made her way to her dorm.

Taylor was lucky enough to score one of the three single rooms. She walked through the den area and opened the door to her room. She had already unpacked and started personalizing it. She had pictures of herself, Chad, her parents, her brothers, the gang, her and Gabriella, her and Chad, Troy and Gabriella, her house, framed and set up on her desk and in the den and some hanging on the walls. Taylor sighed. She already missed Chad. She had seen him the day before, but she already missed him. She heard a knock on the door of her dorm, and got up to answer it.

"Hey, Tessa," Taylor greeted the student advisor.

"Hey, Taylor," Tessa replied, "Are you finished with your dorm?"

"Yup, I finished it yesterday," Taylor replied.

"Great! Then do you want to come with me somewhere? I want to show you something," Tessa said. Taylor nodded and followed Tessa. On the way to where they were going, they began to find out stuff about each other. Taylor found out that they had a lot in common, a lot more in common than she and Reese. Taylor wondered where Tessa was leading her.

"Where are we going?" Taylor asked.

"You'll see," Tessa said, smiling. This made Taylor especially curious. "So, what do you think you want to major in, I mean, you don't have to decide right now, I'm just wondering," Tessa asked.

"I want to major in biochemistry. I want to become a chemist," Taylor replied, "What about you?"

"I'm going to major in psychology. I want to be a Youth Counselor," Tessa replied, "Oh look! We're here!" Taylor looked up. They were in the middle of the courtyard. She saw two people walking towards them, both with wild, bushy hair. Taylor smiled. One of the people began to jog up to them.

"Hey Chad," Taylor said.

"Rats, the hair gave it away, huh?" Chad replied.

"Yeah, sort of," Taylor replied, "I'm still extremely happy to see you." Chad smiled and Taylor kissed him on the cheek. Chad then turned to his cousin's girlfriend.

"Hey, Tess," Chad greeted her.

"Hey, Chad," Tessa said and gave Chad a friendly hug. "Come on, guys, let's go. We have a dinner reservation, and we can't be late!" Tessa said and began to walk. David hurried to catch up to her. Taylor and Chad walked a little bit farther back.

"Thanks for coming, Chad. It means a lot to me that you're here on my first day. I'm sorry that I can't be there for you," Taylor said.

"Hey, it's no problem," Chad replied.

"How are you going to get to college?" Taylor asked.

"Relax, I timed it, it's only half an hour away. We're going to be able to see a lot more of each other than we thought," Chad said. Taylor smiled and linked arms with Chad.

**A/N- **So, I've decided that I'm not going to have the next two chapters about Troy's and Chad's first day at their colleges, because it would basically be the same as these, and I don't want to bore you with the same stuff. I'll try to have the next chapter about Chad or Troy, maybe about a month or two into their college life. I'm just warning you, I still have a few years until college, so I don't know exactly what happens there. This fanfic is going to be a lot shorter than my other one, but I am going to write a fanfic about the gang when they become adults. Sorry if this is fanfic is going to seem like I'm skipping a few months, but once again, I don't know everything about college. Please review!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N- **Thanks so much to my reviewer for the last chapter. Please r&r. Happy New Years! I also wrote a New Year's one-shot. It's a Troyella. It's called Gotta Love the New Year. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer- **I do not own High School Musical

Troy laced up his basketball sneakers and pulled his jersey over his head. Today, the second Saturday in November, was the first game of the basketball season. Troy had made the team and was the only starting freshman on the team. He was the starting point guard. He looked at himself in the mirror and gave himself a little pep-talk. He was nervous about this game, not only because it was his first college game, but also because it was against St. John's University. He was going to be playing basketball against his best friend. "Come on, Troy, you can do this! Give it your all, he will be too. Seventeen years of friendship is not going to be ruined by one game," Troy said. He was scared that if something were to happen during the game, if something went wrong, their brotherly friendship would cease to exist. He sighed. "Ugh! Come on, Troy! Get your head in the game!" He ran to the gym, where the rest of his team was assembled.

Chad ran in place, trying to get psyched up for the game. He was the starting forward for the St. John's basketball team. He was the first freshman to become a starting forward in St. John's history. He was one out of the three freshmen on the team. All together, there were fifteen players on the team. _"Come on, Chad, you can do this!" _Chad thought, _"You've played in plenty of games before! Don't worry about Troy, he's your best friend, nothing is going to change that." _Chad noticed that his team was huddled around their captain, Blake Cooper. St. John's coach, Coach Kelson, was talking to UConn's coach, Coach Peters. Blake was talking to the team about plays and strategy. Chad wanted to play the best game that he had ever played. The team put their hands in the center of the huddle. "Johns!" they chanted.

Troy's team was huddled around the captain, Tommy Sanders, who had just gone over their strategy and plays for this game. The team put tier hands in the center of the huddle, and chanted, "Huskies!"

The starters ran onto the court to the creaming of their supporters. Troy caught Gabriella's eye. She waved at him and smiled. Taylor, who was sitting next to Gabriella, waved to Tory too. Both girls then waved to Chad. Taylor gave him a thumbs up, which he returned.

"Captains, shake hands," the referee ordered. Both captains did so.

Troy mouthed to Chad, "Good luck!"

"You too!" Chad mouthed back. The referee threw up the ball and the game began.

There were two minutes left until half-time. The score was 28-24, John's. John's had the ball and Chad was calling for it. Another forward on his team, Greg Sampson, passed it to him. One of Troy's teammates, Matt Anderson, intercepted the ball, and in the process, knocked Chad to the ground. Chad heard a crack as he hit the ground and winced.

"FOUL!" Coach Kelson screamed at the ref, who shook his head in disagreement. "What? Time out! You've got to be kidding me. That was one of the worst fouls that I have seen in my whole coaching experience!" Coach Kelson exclaimed. Greg ran over to Chad and gave him a hand. Chad shook his head.

"What happened?" Greg asked, concerned. Greg and Chad were not only teammates, but roommates also. The were beginning to become very good friends.

"Well, that guy intercepted the ball and slammed into me, and I fell. As I hit the ground, I heard a crunching noise. Dude, this isn't good. It really kills!" Chad replied. Troy ran up to check on his best fried.

"Hey, Chad. Are you okay? That was one nasty fall!" he asked.

"No. I can't move it. Searing pain in my ankle," Chad replied. Troy kneeled down to check out Chad's swollen ankle. Chad looked up into the stands and saw Taylor with her hand over her mouth, looking very concerned for her boyfriend. He tried to give her a smile to show he was okay, but it turned out as more of a grimace. Gabriella tried to smile at him, but he could tell she was worried too.

"Dude, this does not look good at all," Troy said, still examining the ankle.

"Well, Dr. Troy, what's your diagnosis?" Chad asked, chuckling at his friend.

"Well, Mr. Danforth, it looks to be a … I don't know," Troy replied, chuckling too. Chad shot him a smile. Matt approached them.

"Man, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hit you. It was a complete accident," Matt said.

"An accident that could cost me the next few games," Chad replied bitterly.

"Chad, chill. He said he was sorry," Chad said. Matt left and went to go talk to Coach Peters.

"Dude, that was no accident," Chad said once Matt was out of earshot.

"Chad, calm down, he said it was an accident!" Troy replied. Chad dropped the subject and attempted to get up. Greg, once again, gave Chad his hand. Chad took it, and braced himself on both Greg and Troy. It hurt too much to put any pressure on his ankle. Chad looked over at Coach Kelson, who was still arguing with the ref. Blake had joined in the argument. The ref was getting really annoyed and blew his whistle. It's shrill chirp echoed across the gym.

"Kelson, this will be your first warning. Don't make me give you another one," the ref warned. Coach Kelson clenched his jaw and nodded. He looked over at his injured player and sighed.

"I'm going to need to put in a sub," he said to the ref, who nodded. Coach Kelson walked over to Chad. "How're you doing?" he asked Chad.

"Not so well. It really hurts and I can't put any pressure on it," Chad replied. Coach Kelson led Chad over to the bench and examined his ankle.

"Bolton!" Coach Peters shouted to Troy.

"Coming, Coach," Troy replied. He made sure Chad was braced on Greg and then jogged over to his coach.

"How is he?" Coach Peters asked, nodded his head towards Chad.

"He's in a lot of pain. His ankle's really swollen. I think when he got pushed, he fell on it funny," Troy replied. Matt hung his head, guiltily.

"I really didn't mean to hit him," Matt said. Troy patted him on the back reassuringly.

"We know," he said.

"I'm going to have to take you to the hospital," Coach Kelson said to Chad. Chad sighed. He looked up at Taylor, who was still looking at him anxiously. He motioned for her to come down. She nodded and began to make her way towards him

"Carlton, go in for Danforth. Cooper, take over while I bring Danforth to the hospitalm: Coach Kelson said. Will Carlton nodded.

"Yes, Coach," Blake replied. He turned to Chad. "Fell better, man. You did great out there. Can't wait until you're back in the game," he said to Chad and clapped him on the shoulder. Chad smiled.

"Chad, who's this?" Coach Kelson asked Chad when Taylor approached.

"My girlfriend, Taylor McKessie," Chad replied.

"It's nice to meet you, Coach Kelson. Well, not under these circumstances, of course. Chad has told me so much about you and what a great coach you are and what a great team this is. The team looked great today, except for this injury," Taylor said, pointing towards Chad's ankle. Coach Kelson laughed.

"It's very nice to meet you too, Miss McKessie," he replied, extending his hand, Taylor shook it.

"So, does he need to go to the hospital?" she asked.

"Unfortunately," Coach Kelson replied. Taylor nodded.

"Ah, so this is the Taylor I've heard so much about," Greg said, smiling.

"And you must be Greg," Taylor replied, also smiling. Greg nodded. They shook hands. Taylor then turned to face Chad.

"Chad, put all of your weight on me," Taylor said. Chad looked apprehensive. Taylor rolled her eyes. "Come on, I'm strong. You're not going to hurt me," she said. Chad carefully switched from leaning on Greg to leaning on Taylor. She turned to Coach Kelson. "We can take my car, I'll drive," she said. Coach Kelson nodded. They slowly made their way to Taylor's car. Taylor helped Chad get into the passenger's seat then hopped into the driver's seat. Coach Kelson sat in the back. Taylor turned on the car and began to drive to the hospital.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N-** I just wanted to say that I know very, very little about both basketball and college, so sorry if some stuff does not seem exactly like what it is supposed to be. Thanks so much to all of the people who reviewed for the last chapter. Enjoy this one!

**Disclaimer- **I do not own HSM.

Troy watched his best friend exit the gym and sighed. "_Why did this have to happen? Why did my best friend have to get hurt? Why did Matt have to push him? Arg! I believe him, though. It was just an accident,_" Troy thought. He was nudged by someone and looked up. He saw the whole team looking at him, including Coach Peters. Tyler Scott, Troy's roommate, was the person who had nudged him.

"Troy, you alright?" Coach Peters asked. Troy nodded. He looked over at Tyler, who was giving him an "are you sure" look. Troy nodded once again. Coach Peters began to talk strategy and Troy zoned out again.

The buzzer went off, signaling the continuation of the game. Troy jumped at the noise. UConn did their cheer and ran back onto the court. Troy looked up at Gabriella, who gave him a small smile. He returned it. The game resumed.

"Bolton out, Scott in," Coach Peters called. Ever since Chad's accident, Troy was having a really off-game. Troy sighed and jogged over to the bench. Tyler replaced him. He glanced at Gabriella, who was looking at him with a worried expression on her face. "What's the matter, Troy?" Coach Peters asked Troy, "You were fine at the beginning of the game.

"I don't know, Coach," Troy replied simply, "Chad's my best friend, I guess I'm just worried about him."

"Look, I'm not going to be able to put you back in with you playing like this. You can choose to either sit on the bench and watch the game, or go make sure your friend is okay," Coach Peters offered.

"Really?" Troy asked.

"Yes, I know how you're feeling. I was playing in a college game against my twin brother and he got hurt. My coach wouldn't let me go, and I felt horrible. Go, and tell him we hope he gets back in the game soon," Coach Peters replied. Troy grinned.

"Thanks, Coach!" Troy said. He waved to Gabriella and motioned for her to follow him. He ran out of the gym to his car, with Gabriella close behind.

Taylor and Coach Kelson were sitting in the Waiting Room. Taylor was tapping her foot nervously, as they still had yet to hear from the doctor. Coach Kelson watched Taylor amusedly, but one could tell that he was nervous about Chad too. Taylor looked up as she heard the door to the Waiting Room open.

"Troy? Gabs? What are you doing here?" she asked confusedly.

"I couldn't play knowing that my best friend was hurt," Troy replied.

"And I needed to make sure my best friend was okay," Gabriella added, "How are you?"

"Worried," Taylor replied. Gabriella nodded. "Thanks for coming," Taylor said to Troy and Gabriella. They each gave her a hug and Coach Kelson a nod.

"How is he?" Troy asked.

"We don't know," Coach Kelson replied, "The last time we saw anyone was when they called, 'Chad Danforth' and he hobbled through the door." He pointed to the door which Chad had exited through. Troy nodded and he and Gabriella sat down on chairs. The waiting room was quiet for awhile. Taylor continued tapping her foot, Troy was fiddling his thumbs, and Gabriella was bouncing slightly. About fifteen minutes later, Chad hobbled back out the door, this time with a cast on his leg that went up to his knee and crutches in his hand. Taylor raised her hand to her mouth.

"Oh no," she gasped.

"It's broken," Chad said.

"What?" Troy asked.

"My ankle is broken," Chad replied slowly, "I'm out for the season."

"Chad, I'm so sorry!" Gabriella said.

"It's not your fault," Chad replied, "It's that guy's."

"Chad! Chill! It was an accident!" Troy exclaimed. Chad rolled his eyes.

"An accident that cost me the entire season! Are you really telling me that you actually believe him?" Chad asked, the volume of his voice rising.

"Well, yeah! He's my teammate!" Troy replied, his voice rising too.

"And you're my best friend. Or, maybe you're not. My best friend would believe me," Chad nearly shouted.

"Well, you know what? My best friend would have understood that it was an accident. He would have given the guy the benefit of the doubt. Excuse me, I have a basketball game that I should be at," Troy shot-back. He exited the Waiting Room in a huff. Gabriella gave Coach Kelson, Chad, and Taylor an apolegetic look.

"I'm sorry, guys. I'll guess I'll see you later," she said. She nodded to Coach Kelson and gave Taylor and Chad a quick hug before running after her boyfriend.

"Bye, Gabster!" Chad said.

"Bye, Gabs! Call me later!" Taylor called. Gabriella turned so she was running backwards.

"Will do!" she shouted. She waved then turned back around and sped up to catch up with Troy.

"I'm so, so sorry, Chad," Taylor said, hugging him. Chad shook his head.

"Coach, we should get you back to UConn," Chad said. Coach Kelson nodded.

"The game will be almost over or over, but I need to drive the bus back to St. Johns," he replied. They slowly exited the hospital and headed back to Taylor's car.

Gabriella saw Troy waiting for her at his car. She could tell that he was upset over what happened. She decided not to bring it up. Gabriella got in the passenger's seat. Troy got in the driver's seat and the drive back to UConn began. They sat in silence for about ten minutes, then Troy decided to break the silence.

"I'm sorry, Gabi," he said.

"It's not me that you should be apologizing to," Gabriella mumbled. Troy glanced at her quickly.

"What?" he asked.

"I said it's not me that you should be apologizing to!" Gabriella replied, raising her voice a little bit. She was upset, too, over what had happened. Chad was not only her best friend's boyfriend, but one of her best friends too. She hated having her boyfriend and her best friend fighting.

"Are you implying that I should apologize to Chad?" Troy asked Gabriella in a "you've got to be kidding me" voice.

"Well, yeah," Gabriella replied.

"I can't believe this!" Troy exclaimed, hitting his hands on the steering wheel.

"What, Troy, you can't believe what?" Gabriella asked.

"My girlfriend is taking my ex-best friend's side over mine, even though I am right!" Troy replied, his voice raising more.

"Ex-best friend? Oh, Troy, you are so mature!" Gabriella said sarcastically.

"You actually believe him? You think Matt did that on purpose?"

"Troy, did you see it? I tell you, it was no accident."

"Well, you're wrong, Gabriella. You know what? If you want to take his side on this, you can just catch a ride with him," Troy said. Gabriella was shocked. This was the worst thing Troy had said to her in a long time. A tear ran down her cheek.

"Maybe I should," she replied, her voice becoming wobbly.

"No, Gabi, I didn't mean it like that -" Troy started, but Gabriella cut him off.

"Yes you did, Troy. Just stop the car so I can get out," she said.

"Gabi -" Troy tried to start again. Gabriella shook her head.

"Just stop the car, Troy," Gabriella ordered sharply. Troy sighed and pulled over to the side of the road. Gabriella got out of the car and slammed the door. She walked over to the nearest bench, and watched as Troy drove off. She began to cry. After she had cried for a few minutes, she decided that she should call Taylor to pick her up. She got out her cell phone and pressed speed dial number 2.

"Hey, Gabs! I know I said I'd talk to you later, but this is a little sooner than later," Taylor greeted her friend. Gabriella let out a loud sob. "Gabriella, what's wrong?" she asked worriedly.

"I'll tell you later, can you pick me up, please?" Gabriella replied.

"Sure, where are you?" Taylor said quickly. Gabriella told Taylor where she was then hung up the phone and put it back in her purse. A few minutes later, Taylor's car stopped in front of her. She smiled weakly and got in the back of the car.

"Thanks," she said quietly. Taylor nodded.

"Anytime," Taylor replied.

"_How can you be so stupid?_" Troy asked himself. "_Stupid, stupid, stupid!_" he scolded himself, "_Your best friend got hurt physically, you hurt him mentally, and you hurt your girlfriend too! STUPID, STUPID, STUPID!_" He parked his car in the UConn parking lot and hit his head on the steering wheel. "_What did I do?_" he asked himself.

Taylor dropped Coach Kelson off at UConn, then headed towards Yale to drop Gabriella off. She looked at her depressed friend in the backseat and sighed. She looked over at Chad, who was also looking at Gabriella worriedly. "Are you going to tell me what's wrong?" Taylor asked Gabriella. Gabriella shrugged.

"Come on, Gabster, we're your best friends, we can help," Chad said. Gabriella shrugged again.

"Please, Gabi?" Taylor pleaded.

"Troy and I got in a fight," Gabriella replied, quietly.

"What? Why?" Taylor asked, surprised. The two rarely get into fights. The only time that they had fought in the past was when Gabriella caught Sharpay kissing Troy.

"He was saying how he couldn't believe how Chad was acting, and then he called you his ex-best friend. I called him immature and that he should apologize to you. He got mad at me and said that since I wanted to take your side I should get a ride with you. I said maybe I should. He stopped the car and I got out then called you," Gabriella replied, tearing up. Chad sighed.

"I am so sorry, Gabi," Chad said.

"Me too," Taylor added, looking at her friend nervously through the mirror.

**A/N- **Wow, a lot of drama in this chapter. It was also the longest chapter I have written so far! 1642 words! Please review and tell me what you think. Flames are fine too. Please continue reading. Don't give this fanfic up yet, you'll see where I am going with this.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N- **Thank you so much to the lovely people who reviewed on the last chapter. I have a new story up, called Broken Promise, Broken Heart. It's a Chaylor fanfic. Taylor centric. Please read it if your interested. I would love to know what you think about it. Enjoy this chapter!

**Disclaimer- **I do not own High School Musical.

Gabriella wiped her tears away as she walked into her dorm. "Hey, Gabi!" Arden called cheerfully from her room.

"Hey, Arden," Gabriella replied gloomily. She sat down on the couch. Arden poked her head out of her door, looking at Gabriella with a concerned look on her face. She took one look at her friend's tear-stained cheeks then rushed out of her room and sat down on the couch next to Gabriella to comfort her. Gabriella saw that Arden was dressed up in black skinny jeans and a blue shirt.

"I take it the game didn't go too well?" Arden guessed. Gabriella shook her head. "Hold on, let me cancel my date, then we can hang, eat ice cream, watch chick-flicks, and you can tell me exactly what happened," Arden proposed. Gabriella's head had shot up when Arden mentioned that she had a date and she perked up.

"You have a date for tonight?" she asked excitedly. Arden nodded her head. Gabriella squealed.

"I'll cancel it, though, so we can hang and you can tell me what happened," Arden repeated.

"Cancel? No! You can't! Your date is much more important than my problem. Who's the guy? When did this happen? Spill!"

"Well, the guy is Ryan."

"Ryan, as in Ryan Evans?" Arden nodded. Gabriella squealed again. "That's awesome! When did he ask you out?" she asked.

"He called me this morning, seeing if I wanted to have dinner tonight," Arden replied.

"Oh my gosh! I want all the details when you get back!" Gabriella said.

"Haha, totally," Arden agreed, "Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah! Absolutely! I'll invite Abby over and we'll watch a movie until you get back. Then we can have a sleepover!" Gabriella replied excitedly. Arden laughed.

"Okay, I have to go finish getting ready," Arden said. Gabriella nodded then knocked on Abby's door.

- - - - - - -

Troy was sitting on the couch of his dorm with his head in his hands. He heard cheering from the hallway, and a few minutes later, Tyler walked through the door, laughing. "Hey, Troy! We won!" Tyler announced. Noticing his friend's state, he quieted down.

"Congrats," Troy said unenthusiastically.

"What happened?" Tyler asked.

"I lost my best friends and my girlfriend," Troy replied, still not removing his head from his hands.

"How?" Tyler asked.

"I defended Matt. Naturally, Taylor took Chad's side. I expected Gabi to take mine, though," Troy admitted.

"You did the right thing," Tyler assured Troy, patting him on the back before heading to his room.

"Yeah, I guess I did," Troy agreed.

- - - - - - -

Chad and Taylor were sitting on a bench in the St. John's courtyard.

"What a day," Chad grumbled.

"Yeah," Taylor agreed.

"Ugh! I'm out for the season and I lost my best friend" Chad complained.

"Chad, could we possibly talk about something else?"

"Thanks a lot. So much for being sensitive!"

"What? You complain about your ankle and Troy for more than an hour and call me insensitive when I want to change the topic?"

"You know what? I'm going to go. Greg's probably wondering how I'm doing," Chad said. He got up and began to hobble away, angrily.

"Oh, yeah, I'm so sure he'll want to listen to you complain for hours!" Taylor replied sarcastically.

"_Aah! Everything is so messed up!" _Chad thought.

Taylor got up slowly from the bench and walked to her car. She turned on the ignition then paused. _"I can't do this to him!" _she thought, _"he's hurt, he's upset, and he needs me."_ She turned off the car, then got out and ran to catch up with him.

She found him sitting on a bench, apparently out of breath. He looked up when he heard someone approaching, but turned away when he saw that it was Taylor. She sat down on the bench next to him.

"Hey," she said quietly.

"Hi," he replied, still not looking at her.

"I'm sorry," Taylor said.

"Me too," Chad answered. He turned to her and gave her a big hug. "I acted like a five-year old," he admitted.

"Yeah, you did," Taylor agreed, laughing.

"Hey!" Chad exclaimed, a smile creeping onto his face. Taylor grinned and kissed him lightly. She walked him back to his dorm before going to her car and driving back to Columbia.

- - - - - - -

Gabriella and Abby were in the middle of watching King Arthur when Arden walked in the door with a big smile. She closed the door and smiled.

"Spill, spill, spill!" Gabriella ordered. Arden laughed.

"Okay," Arden said, sitting down on the couch, "First Ryan took me to this really nice restaurant for an early dinner and we really got to know each other. Afterwards, we went to go see a Shakespeare in the park. After the play, we walked around in the park. Then we went back here and he kissed me."

"Aaw!" Gabriella and Abby cooed.

"We're going out again tomorrow!" Arden said. Gabriella squealed. They talked a bit more about Arden's date.

"So, Gabi, why were you so upset earlier?" Arden asked.

"Troy and I sort of got into a fight earlier," Gabriella replied.

"Oh no!" Arden said.

"Why?" Abby asked.

"One of my best friends, Chad, who is dating Taylor, got pushed by one of Troy's teammates and broke his ankle. Chad accused the guy of pushing him purposely. Troy disagreed with him. I took Chad's side, as did Taylor. Troy and I got into a fight," Gabriella replied.

"Where are the two of you now?" Arden asked.

"To tell you the truth, I don't know," Gabriella replied.

"You should call him tomorrow," Abby said.

"Yeah," Arden agreed.

"Fine, I will," Gabriella decided. The three girls went to sleep.

**A/N-** Arden's shirt is in the profile. What did you think about this chapter? Please review!


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N-** I'm so sorry! I haven't updated in a long, long time. Thanks to all of the people who reviewed on the last chapter. I promise I'll update sooner next time. Enjoy! Please R&R!

**Disclaimer- **I do not own High School Musical.

Gabriella was woken up the next morning by the smell of blueberry pancakes, eggs, and bacon. She saw Arden and Abby in the kitchen cooking the food. "Smells good," Gabriella said, entering the kitchen and pouring herself some coffee.

"Doesn't it? Sit down at the table, the food will be ready soon," Arden replied. Gabriella obeyed. Five minutes later, the three were eating the delicious food.

"Are you ready to call Troy?" Abby asked. Gabriella sighed. "I'll take that as a no," Abby said.

"I'm not, but I will," Gabriella replied.

"Don't worry, Gabi. From what you tell me, Troy really loves you and he's probably beating himself up right now for getting into a fight with you," Arden assured her friend.

"I don't know," Gabriella said.

"So, when are you going to call him?" Abby asked.

"Ugh! I have two nosy nosy friends!" Gabriella complained.

"Haha, you love us anyway," Arden replied. Gabriella nodded.

"I'll call him now," Gabriella sighed. She got out her cell-phone and walked into her room. She closed the door, plopped herself down on her bed, and pressed speed dial number three, one being her mother and two being Taylor.

- - - - - - - -

Troy heard his cell phone ringing and looked at the caller id: Gabs. He sighed and put his phone back in his pocket before continuing to eat his cereal. Tyler gave him a curious look.

"Who is it?" he asked.

"Gabriella," Troy replied.

"You're being so immature, Troy, answer the phone!" Tyler ordered. Troy sighed and reluctantly answered the call.

"Hello?" he said.

"Hey, Troy, it's me," Gabriella replied, her voice a little bit shaky from her nervousness.

"Yeah, I know," Troy said.

"Oh, okay," Gabriella replied. There was an awkward pause.

"Why did you call," Troy asked after a minute and a half.

"To see how we're doing," Gabriella replied.

"Well, we're not doing so great right now. You sided with my best friend over me," Troy said.

"I sided with your friend because I saw the injury happen. I saw Matt knock Chad down and I heard Chad's ankle crack!" Gabriella argued, "I don't see why you're siding with Matt over Chad."

"Matt's my teammate. I trust him and I trust everyone on my team. He said that he didn't do it on purpose so I believe him!"

"Of course he said that he didn't do it! Pushing someone is very serious! And also, Chad doesn't lie. Why would he throw himself on the floor, causing him to break his ankle?"

"I don't know, maybe because he wanted all of this popularity."

"Troy! Are you listening to yourself? He took himself out of the season because he wanted to be popular? I can't believe you."

"Well, I can't believe you, Gabriella," Troy said. He heard a sob on the other end. His heart broke. "W-what's wrong?" he asked.

"You just called me Gabriella," she replied, "You never call me Gabriella."

"Oh," Troy said.

"Troy, I can't talk to you right now. We'll talk later, okay?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah, later," Troy replied. He closed his phone when he heard the dial tone.

"Nice going, man," Tyler said.

"Ugh," Troy replied, putting his head down on the table.

"That would be an example of how not to solve your problem," Tyler said.

"What do you mean?" Troy asked.

"Have you not heard the rumors?" Tyler replied.

"What rumors?" Troy asked.

"About Matt," Tyler said.

"No, I haven't," Troy replied.

"Matt plays dirty, he always has. He got kicked off of the soccer team at his High School and he's gotten benched to many times to count. It's a miracle that he's still at this school," Matt explained.

"Where did you hear this?" Troy asked.

"Tommy told me about the benching. I went to High School with Matt. He was a senior when I was a freshman. My brother was on the soccer team with Matt, so that's how I know that he got kicked off the team," Tyler replied.

"And you couldn't have told me this earlier? I mean before I got into a fight with my best friend, other best friend, and girlfriend?" Troy complained.

"I'm sorry, I thought you knew!" Tyler defended himself.

"And what about yesterday? You said that I did the right thing by defending Matt!" Troy said.

"I was wrong. I'm sorry," Tyler said.

"It's okay," Troy said, "How am I going to make it up to Chad, Tay, and Gabi?"

"I don't know, dude. Sorry," Tyler replied. He got up and left Troy to think.

"_What am I going to do?" _Troy asked himself. He put his head down on the table again and groaned.

- - - - - - - -

"So, Gabi, how was your call?" Arden asked Gabriella.

"Come on, guys, don't play innocent! I know you were eavesdropping," Gabriella replied.

"You know us too well, Gabriella Montez," Abby said. Gabriella laughed.

"Well, to answer your question, he's still siding with Matt, and he's still mad at me and Chad and Tay," Gabriella replied.

"Well, that stinks," Arden said. She looked down at her watch and yelped. "I'm going to be late to class!" she exclaimed and grabbed her bag before leaving the dorm.

"Speaking of class, I should make the last touches to my paper," Abby said before leaving the room. Gabriella took out her favorite book and settled herself on the couch.

- - - - - - - -

Taylor was busy typing away on her laptop when her phone rang. She picked it up and balanced it on her shoulder. "Hello?" she answered.

"Taylor," Troy said uncomfortably.

"Ugh, what do you want, Troy?" Taylor asked, no longer able to concentrate on the paper that she was writing.

"I called to say that I'm sorry," Troy said.

"Sorry for what? Hurting my boyfriend? Breaking my best friend's heart?"

"Tay, I'm sorry, I never meant to hurt any of you."

"Yeah right. Why did you defend your teammate over Chad?"

"I thought I was doing the right thing, okay?"

"No, not okay!"

"Taylor, if you were competing in a decathlon against Gabi and she accused one of your teammates of cheating, what would you do?"

"I would believe her!"

"Would you?

"I don't know."

"See, the choice wasn't as easy as you thought," Troy said.

"Yeah, I guess it wasn't," Taylor replied.

"Friends again?" Troy asked.

"Always," Taylor assured him.

"Thanks. I'll leave you to whatever you were doing before," Troy said.

"Wait, Troy?" Taylor asked.

"Yeah?" Troy replied.

"Thanks for coming to your senses," Taylor said.

"Haha, nice. I deserved that. You're welcome," Troy replied.

"I'll see you later," Taylor said.

"Yup, later," Troy agreed and hung up. Taylor smiled before getting back to her paper.

- - - - - - - -

"_One down, two to go,"_ Troy thought. He reached for his cell that he had put down on the coffee table after ending his conversation with Taylor. _"On second thought, I should think of a strategy before I call them."_ He withdrew his hand and thought about a way to get Chad and Gabriella back.

**A/N- **For those who don't remember, Tommy is the captain of Troy's team. I know, it wasn't the greatest chapter. Sorry about that. Please review!


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N- **Hey! Sorry about the really really long wait before the update. I have been having writers block. Thanks for all of the reviewers on the last chapter. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer- **I do not own HSM.

"Taylor, what should I do?" Troy asked Taylor over the phone. It had been two weeks since Gabriella called Troy, they got into a fight, and Troy and Taylor made up. He had just gotten back to Connecticut from Thanksgiving with his family in Albuquerque.

"Truthfully, Troy, I don't know," Taylor replied, "I haven't talked to Gabi since you two had your phone fight. I could call her if you would like me too and see what she thinks of you."

"Really, you would do that?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, of course! Anything for a friend," Taylor replied, "I'll have to call her later on, though. I have class in … nine minutes."

"Yeah, sure. Thanks so much, Tay. Talk to you later," Troy said and hung up. He exited his room and sat down next to Tyler on the couch.

"So, what did Taylor say?" Tyler asked.

"She'll call Gabi and see what she thinks of me," Troy replied.

"I really am sorry, Troy," Tyler said.

"I know you are, and you're forgiven," Troy replied and got up from the couch.

"Where are you going?" Tyler asked.

"On a walk to clear my head," Troy replied. He clapped Tyler on the back before grabbing his jacket and exiting the dorm. As he walked around the campus, the only thing on his mind was Gabriella. He had to figure a way to get her back. After his walk, he packed up for class. From class, he went to a late lunch then back to his dorm. A few minutes after he returned to his dorm, he received a call.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Troy, I've got a plan," Taylor said.

- - - - - - - -

"Tay, are you sure this will work?" Troy asked.

"Yes, Troy, I'm positive. Now, go get her back!" Taylor replied, smiling and patting him on the back before giving him a little push.

Troy took a deep breath before going through the doors of the café in which Taylor had told Gabriella to go to. He saw Gabriella sitting at a table with a coffee in her hand. He went up to the counter and ordered himself a coffee then sat down at the table across from Gabriella. Gabriella looked at him, shocked for him to be there. "Hey," he said.

"Hey," she replied.

"Gabi, I am so so sorry. Believe me, you have no idea how sorry I am. I made the biggest mistake in my life. I let Chad down, and more importantly I let you down," Troy said. Gabriella didn't say anything. "Gabriella, I love you more than anything on this whole entire world. I love you more than basketball, by one hundred moons. I love you more than five billion times the circumference of Jupiter. I love you so much, Gabs, and I can't stand another minute without you," Troy continued. Gabriella was now in tears.

"I missed you, Troy," Gabriella managed to get out, "I love you so much!" Troy smiled and leaned in for a kiss. He caught Taylor's eye through the window. She smiled and gave him thumbs up. Gabriella turned around and saw Taylor too. She mouthed a 'thank you' then turned to Troy for another kiss. Troy pulled back.

"Now I just have to figure out how to get Chad to forgive me," Troy said.

"Don't worry, we'll think of something," Gabriella replied, wrapping her arms around Troy.

- - - - - - - -

Taylor and Chad were walking to their favorite restaurant. Well, Taylor was walking. Chad was hobbling on his crutches. The couple walked into the restaurant and sat at a booth for four. Chad looked at Taylor curiously, but did not question her. About half an hour later, Troy and Gabriella walked into the restaurant. Gabriella looked around and saw Taylor, waved, then brought Troy to the table. When Troy and Gabriella sat down, Chad made a move to stand up. Taylor grabbed his arm and glared at him. She pulled him back down.

"Chad, Troy has returned to his former status with both Gabriella and me. Gabriella and I are going to leave the two of you alone here until you make up or else you won't be able to leave this restaurant, okay?" Taylor said. Chad nodded. Taylor and Gabriella got up and walked to another table.

"Chad, listen-" Troy started.

"Troy, I don't want to hear it," Chad cut him off. He attempted to get up again.

"Chad, please," Troy begged.

"Troy, you're my best friend! You should have taken my side. You shouldn't have even had to think about it! It should have been an automatic decision!" Chad said.

"You're right," Troy said.

"What?" Chad asked.

"You're right. I should have never taken his side. I mean, you've been my best friend for fourteen years, and you've never done anything to hurt me. Well, except for the time you and Taylor plotted together to get Gabriella and me to decide not to do callbacks. What I mean is I should have had your back like you have had mine for fourteen years. I'm sorry, Chad."

"I'm sorry, too."

"Friends?" Troy asked.

"Always," Chad replied. The two exchanged a man hug.

Gabriella nudged Taylor and the two went back to the table. "Have you two made up?" Gabriella asked. Troy and Chad nodded.

"Good," Taylor said. They looked through their menus and pondered what they wanted to order.

**A/N- **Sorry, it's not that long, but I've been having writers block. Please review!

Also, Friday night at 9:45, Vanessa's new music video (With Zac Efron) is being shown on Disney Channel.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N- **Sorry sorry sorry for taking so long to update. I've been extremely busy. Thanks for the reviews from the last chapter. This one is not as long as I would like, but as long as I could get out now. Please R&R.

**Disclaimer- **I do not own HSM.

Gabriella lay awake in her bed. Music was being played somewhere in the building … LOUDLY. The next day would start off spring break and parties were being held to celebrate. She turned onto her side, groaning. Arden was out to dinner, dancing, then a movie with Ryan. Abby was with her boyfriend. Gabriella went through a list that she had in her mind of her friends. Who would be awake at this time of the night? Denise went bowling with Brady, Steph was out with Chris, Betty and Crystal (twins) had decided to check out some of the parties. **(A/N- These are some of the people she had met and become friends with. I just haven't written about them yet.) **She gave up trying to sleep and put in a movie. She put in "10 Things I Hate About You" **(A/N- Good Movie!)** and put some popcorn in the microwave. A few minutes after the movie started, there was a knock on the door. She opened the door to come face to face with a crying Sharpay.

"I'm so sorry, Gabriella. I know I have no right to come here after how horrible I've been to you. I just really need someone to talk to right now," Sharpay said. Gabriella, being the kind-hearted person she is, opened the door fully and allowed Sharpay to enter.

"What's the matter?" Gabriella asked after she had gotten Sharpay some water and offered her some popcorn.

"I caught Greg **(A/N- her boyfriend) **and Evelyn **(A/N- her best friend)** making out at a party that he was throwing. He told me how important it was that I be there and how much it would mean to him if I came. I spent so much time getting ready for that party. I curled my hair and worked forever on my makeup. I even went to New York to find a really cute dress. I did all of this work and then I see him making out with my best friend. He told me that he loved me, too. That's the worst part. A week and a half ago he said that he loved me and he didn't even have to wait a fraction of a second to hear me say it back. I really did love him, Gabriella. It really hurts," Sharpay replied, fresh tears rolling down her face. Gabriella gave Sharpay a comforting hug.

"If he did that to you, he's not worth even a millisecond of your time," Gabriella said, "You deserve better than him. You deserve better than a cheating boyfriend and a back-stabbing best friend."

"Thanks, Gabriella," Sharpay said, wiping the tears off her face.

"No problem," Gabriella replied.

"Gabriella, I'm really sorry about what happened in High School. I was a complete brat and I had no right to treat you like that. I had no right to try to break you and Troy up. I'm really sorry. I've been horrible to you and I want to make it up to you. I acted like a baby in High School. I had to get every single thing that I wanted. So far I've had to learn that life isn't as easy as I had thought. College is a lot harder than High School. I'm not the only talented person here. The other students in my drama class are amazing. I've learned to act more maturely and to take things on from a different perspective. I'm really sorry for the way that I've treated you. I would like to be friends with you, Gabriella. Will you forgive me?" Sharpay asked.

"Of course," Gabriella replied, smiling. "I'm willing to completely forget what happened between us in High School," Gabriella said.

"Really?" Sharpay asked, surprised. Gabriella nodded. Sharpay smiled gratefully and gave Gabriella a hug.

"Which movie are you watching?" Sharpay asked, nodding to the screen.

"Ten Things I Hate About You," Gabriella replied. Sharpay's grin grew.

"Oh my gosh! That's one of my favorite movies!" she exclaimed.

"You wanna watch it with me? It's kind of lonely being here by myself while everyone else is partying or on a date," Gabriella offered.

"I would love to," Sharpay replied. Gabriella put the popcorn bowl in front of them and got out some sodas and ice cream. After the movie was over, Sharpay and Gabriella talked.

"So, what do you think you want to major in?" Gabriella asked after a few minutes of talking.

"Haha, it's like you to bring that up," Sharpay teased, "I want to major in Theatre Arts, you?"

"Last I heard that's what Kelsi's aiming for too. I want to major in Math/Statistics," Gabriella said.

"Surprise surprise," Sharpay joked. Gabriella stuck her tongue out at her. "What are you doing for break?" Sharpay asked.

"I'm going back to Albuquerque, you?" Gabriella replied.

"Same," Sharpay said.

"Cool, you'll have to hang out with me there," Gabriella said.

"I can't," Sharpay said.

"Why not?" Gabriella asked.

"Have you forgotten? You're whole gang hates me. I don't blame them either," Sharpay replied.

"They don't hate you," Gabriella disagreed. Sharpay raised her eyebrows. "Fine, they sort of hate you. Well, they hated the you from High School. You really have changed, and it's a good change. Just stick with me and you'll be fine," Gabriella said.

- - - - - - - -

"It's a beautiful morning at St. John's University. It's mostly sunny, the temperature now is 69 degrees. The time is ten twenty-seven. Taylor McKessie over and out," Taylor said in her best anchorwoman impersonation. Chad groaned. "Come on Chad," Taylor begged, "Don't you want to get to Albuquerque? … Don't you want to see my adorable little brothers? … Jason and Zeke are already there … Fine. If you don't come I'm going to eat both of your doughnuts as well as my coffee-cake muffin. **(A/N- omgosh I had one of those at Dunkin' Doughnuts… AH-mazing!)** And it would be horrible if I ate your doughnut because it is a delicious and in no way nutritious boston cream, your favorite." Chad shot up and reached for his doughnut. Taylor laughed.

"Good morning," she said.

"Gwo Mawnig" Chad replied through a mouthful of doughnuts. Taylor laughed.

"That is soooo attractive," she said. Chad swallowed.

"I know," he replied. Taylor leaned in for a good-morning kiss.

"Are you all packed?" Taylor asked.

"Yup," Chad replied proudly.

"Our flight is at one forty-eight, so we have a little bit of time. We should get there early, you know … traffic, security, etc." Taylor said.

"What do you want to do until then?" Chad asked.

"Well, I was hoping my lovely boyfriend would take a walk with me," Taylor replied.

"Sure, let me get changed then we can head out," Chad said. He grabbed his clothes and walked into the bathroom.

- - - - - - - -

"Dude! Get up! You overslept!" Tyler shouted from the other side of Troy's door. Troy shot up.

"No way! What time is it?" Troy asked.

"Ten fifty," Tyler replied.

"Aw man! I'm so late!" Troy said. His flight was leaving at twelve-o-four. He quickly put some clothes on, brushed his teeth, grabbed his bags, and ran out the door. "Bye, Tyler!" he shouted, "Have a nice spring break!"

"You too!" Tyler replied.

Troy ran to the car as fast as he could and threw his stuff in the trunk. He put his keys in the ignition and drove to the airport. He had just made it to the gate when they called his section of the plane: zone 5. He let out a relieved sigh and boarded the plane.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N- **So so so sorry that it has taken me forever to update! A big thanks to all of the reviewers on chapter 12! Enjoy!

**Disclaimer-** I do not own HSM.

"Anybody home?" Gabriella called into her house. She took her keys out of the doorknob and brought her bags inside. She had called a cab because she wanted to surprise her mother.

"Gabriella, is that you?" Elena (Ms. Montez) asked, emerging from the kitchen. Gabriella ran up to her mom and gave her a huge hug.

"I missed you, mom," Gabriella said.

"I missed you too, Gabi," Elena replied, "I thought you weren't coming home for two days!"

"I wanted to surprise you," Gabriella said.

"Well, you did," Elena laughed, "It's great having you back, Gabi."

"It's great being back," Gabriella replied.

- - - - - - -

"Taylor! Taylor!" Taylor was greeted with the excited shouts of her two excited brothers. Taylor, followed by her dad, brought her bags into the house.

"Aaron! James!" Taylor replied. She ran up to them and hugged them and gave them a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey, sweetie," Anne said, hugging her daughter.

"Hey, mom," Taylor replied, "I missed you."

"I missed you too," Anne said.

"I missed you," the boys said. Taylor chuckled.

"I missed my two favorite brothers too!" Taylor said.

"So, you still feeling up to the dinner with the gang?" Anne asked.

"Yup!" Taylor replied. She had organized a dinner at their favorite pizza place, which all the gang (including Sharpay and Ryan, which she didn't know yet) would be attending.

- - - - - - -

Taylor and Chad were at Charlene's Pizza, their favorite pizza place, waiting for the rest of the gang to show up. Zeke and Jason were the first to enter the building.

"Zeke! Jason!" Taylor squealed, jumping out of her seat and racing to hug them.

"Missed you too, Tay," Zeke laughed. He hugged her. Jason hugged her afterwards. They followed Taylor to their table, well, tables. They had saved many tables for the large group that was going to be eating there. When the got to the table that Taylor and Chad were currently sitting at, Zeke and Jason greeted Chad with their special handshake.

"Ooh! Look, there's Kelsi!" Taylor said as she saw another one of their friends walk through the door. Jason turned to look at her and grinned. He ran up to her and gave her a hug and a kiss.

"I missed you so much Kels," Jason said.

"I missed you too, Jase!" Kelsi replied. She smiled at him then kissed him on the cheek.

"Hey, K," Zeke said after he approached Kelsi.

"Hey, Z," Kelsi replied, smiling.

"How've you been? Zeke asked.

"I've been doing fine, except I missed you all," Kelsi replied.

"Yeah, I can't believe that we're so close to each other but never saw each other," Taylor said.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I've been composing and taking classes then I have my work. I've also been attending some shows so I can see what's new in the Broadway world and what's popular. On top of all of that I'm also a waitress at a popular restaurant so I can save up enough money to afford the recording studio I want to install after college," Kelsi replied, "I'll definitely try to see you more often next semester."

"Don't worry about it," Taylor said. Kelsi smiled gratefully.

- - - - - - -

Everyone except for Gabriella had arrived. Gabriella was now almost thirty minutes late.

"Should we just order her usual so that when she arrives it's here?" Troy asked. They heard a door open and Gabriella rushed through the door, followed by two blondes.

"I am so sorry! Hey, everyone," Gabriella greeted the group.

"Hey," the group responded, grinning. Their cheerful looks changed to confused ones when they noticed that Gabriella was being followed by the Evans twins.

"What are they doing here?" Taylor asked.

"Well, they're my friends now," Gabriella replied.

"WHAT? How can you say that? Well, actually Ryan I can understand, but Sharpay? She made your life a living nightmare in High School!" Taylor exclaimed. Sharpay looked down wards, sad and embarrassed at the way she acted in High School. Gabriella noticed this.

"Taylor, just give her a break. You don't know her," she said, her voice turning a bit cold.

"And you do? You really think you know Sharpay Evans? How do you know this isn't another one of her experiments? Just another one of her acting experiments?" Taylor asked.

"I just do, okay?" Gabriella replied, annoyed with Taylor's behavior, "I know that she's changed, I just do. I can't believe you're acting like this, Taylor!"

"I can't believe you, Gabriella. After all the things she's done to you. After all the things she's done to us!" Taylor said.

"I'm sorry," Sharpay said quietly, but loud enough for everyone to hear. She looked up. "I'm really sorry. I'm sorry for everything I said. I'm sorry for everything I did. I'm just really, really sorry," she added. "I'll just leave," she said. She turned around and made her way back to the door. Taylor was shocked at what Sharpay had said, but realized that it was coming from the heart.

"Stay," Taylor said. Sharpay stopped and turned around.

"What?" Sharpay asked.

"I don't want you to leave. Stay here and eat dinner with us. A group of friends eating at their favorite pizza place," Taylor said. Sharpay smiled.

"Thanks," she said.

"And for the record, I'm sorry too," Taylor said. Sharpay's smile grew and she walked up to Taylor and hugged her.

"Friends?" Sharpay asked.

"Friends," Taylor replied.

- - - - - - -

It was New Year's Eve. The group and their families, minus Dan McKessie because he was watching James and Aaron, were at the Montez's house having dinner and hanging out. Zeke, Jason, Troy, and Gabriella would be leaving the next day. Kelsi, Sharpay, Ryan, Taylor and Chad would be leaving the day after. In the two weeks that they had spent together, Sharpay and Ryan had been accepted into the group. They had actually gotten pretty close. Zeke's crush on Sharpay had returned, and he didn't know that she had one on him also.

"Come on, Zeke, tell her how you feel!" Chad said.

"I'm not so sure about this," Zeke said. Troy pushed him forward.

"Come on, Zeke, you can do this," Troy said.

"I can?" Zeke asked.

"Yes you can," Jason replied.

In another part of the living room, Ryan was talking on the phone with Arden.

"I'm glad you're having a good time with your family. Tell them I say hi … So your break is going well? … Good … I miss you too, but we only have two more days … he laughed I know, it's a very long amount of time … I have to go, we're going to be counting down soon … See you soon! … Okay … Bye!" Ryan hung up the phone then walked over to his sister, who was with Gabriella, Taylor, and Kelsi.

"So, how was Miss Arden?" Sharpay asked, her eyebrows wiggling.

"She's fine," Ryan replied, blushing.

"You miss her," Sharpay said.

"It's natural for a guy to miss his girlfriend," Ryan said, "Gabi, you've been in touch with her, right?"

"Of course!" Gabriella replied.

"I'm so glad she's your roommate. If she wasn't, I probably wouldn't have met her," Ryan said.

"I'm glad she's my roommate also," Gabriella agreed.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Taylor asked, nodding her head in the direction of the other boys. They saw Troy trying to push Zeke forward. Zeke looked nervous and uncertain.

"We're about to find out," Kelsi said. Zeke was making his way over.

"Sharpay, can I talk to you for a second?" Zeke asked. The girls nodded, telling her that she should do it.

"Sure," Sharpay replied. She got up and followed Zeke outside. "So, what's up?" she asked.

"Well, I don't really know how to say this, so I'll just say it flat-out. I like you," Zeke stated. Sharpay's jaw dropped. "Will you be my girlfriend?" he asked. Sharpay closed her mouth.

"Of course I will!" she replied. She hugged him and pecked him lightly on the lips. They heard a chorus of 'aaws' and looked at the front door. They saw Taylor, Kelsi, and Gabriella looking at them with big smiles on their faces. Sharpay and Zeke laughed before going back inside.

- - - - - - -

"We'll see each other soon, right?" Sharpay asked Zeke. She was worried about how the long-distance relationship was going to work.

"Yup, we'll see each other during spring break. I'll also call you every night. Don't worry, we'll be fine. Kelsi and Jason are the proof that a couple can stay together even though their on opposite sides of the country," Zeke replied.

"Yeah, but they were together long before they were separated," Sharpay said.

"Sharpay, look at me. Do you like me? Sharpay nodded Do you have faith in our relationship? Sharpay nodded again Then we can do this! I'm not going to let the distance separate me from my amazing girlfriend," Zeke said. Sharpay smiled.

"Fly safely," she said.

"We should get going, Zeke, so we can make it to the gate on time," Jason said. Zeke nodded.

"Bye, Shar," Zeke said.

"Bye Zeke," Sharpay replied. Zeke and Jason hugged everyone before heading to security. Zeke gave Sharpay another hug. Jason hugged a crying Kelsi and kissed the top of her head.

"I love you, Kelsi," Jason said.

"I love you, too," Kelsi replied, wiping tears from her eyes.

"I'll call right when I get back, okay?" Jason asked. Kelsi nodded.

"Bye," she said.

"Bye," Jason replied. He let go of her and grabbed his carry-on before following Zeke to security.

Sharpay walked up to a still crying Kelsi and gave her a comforting hug. Kelsi smiled gratefully.

"Troy and I should go to security soon also," Gabriella said. Troy nodded. They said their goodbyes then Troy and Gabriella went through security. Ryan, Sharpay, Kelsi, Taylor, and Chad left the airport.

**A/N- **So, I put in some Zekepay. I plan on keeping it in this story from now on. Again, my apologies for the wait on this chapter. Please tell me what you think about it.


	14. Important AN

**A/N- **Hey! I'm going away soon and won't be able to post until mid July. Please don't abandon this story!


	15. Chapter 14

**A/N** – I am soooo sorry about how long it took me to update. I am having major writers block and can't write more than two paragraphs or so every time I sit down and write. It's not as long as usual, but it's not extremely short. Please review and tell me what you think.

**Disclaimer – **I do not own HSM.

Spring break rolled around. It couldn't come faster for Taylor. She had been studying herself into the ground. She believed that it was never too early to study for finals. She, Gabriella, Troy, Chad, Sharpay, Ryan, and Kelsi were going back to Albuquerque for spring break so they could spend it with their families. Sharpay and Kelsi were also excited to see their boyfriends.

Taylor sat in the window seat of the plane, looking out of the window. She sighed. She felt a squeeze in her hand and looked over to Chad, who was sitting next to her. "You okay?" Chad asked.

"Yeah, I guess," Taylor replied.

"That means you aren't. What's up?" Chad said.

"I don't know. I'm just ready for a break, I guess. I've been studying really hard and stressing myself out," Taylor replied. Chad laughed.

"Studying for what?" he asked.

"My exams!" Taylor replied. Chad laughed again, then, looking at her serious face, stopped.

"Taylor, you graduated valedictorian. You've always been an amazing student. And, you're brains like a sponge," Chad said.

"Are you calling me a sponge brain?" Taylor asked, trying to fake being offended. Her act was ruined as a smile appeared on her face.

"Now, that's the Taylor I know," Chad said. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close to him. He kissed the top of her head.

"Thanks, Chad," Taylor replied.

"No problem. Now, you're going to enjoy this break whether you like it or not," Chad said.

"Sounds good!" Taylor replied.

- - - - - - - -

Taylor and Chad arrived at the airport to see Zeke and Jason there waiting for them. Taylor squealed and ran up to them and gave them a big hug.

"Haha, missed you too, Taylor," Zeke said.

"Well, sorry that I'm excited to see two of my best friends who live on the opposite side of the country!" Taylor said. Zeke smiled and hugged her back.

"Don't worry, we did miss you a ton," Jason said. Taylor smiled and moved on to hug him. Chad went up to Zeke and hugged him, then went up to Jason and did the same.

"So, how're things between you guys and Sharpay and Kelsi?" Taylor asked.

"Kelsi and I are great. We have some form of communication every day," Jason replied.

"That's great!" Chad said.

"Sharpay and I aren't doing so well," Zeke admitted.

"Oh no! Why not?" Taylor asked.

"She's so worried about our relationship. And you know Sharpay… her drama queen attitude takes her worrying onto a whole other level. Currently, she's convinced that I'm cheating on her because I told her that I've been offered a job at the bakery near campus," Zeke replied. Chad laughed and Taylor glared at him.

"I'm so sorry, Zeke," Taylor said.

"It's not your fault. I think I'm going to break up with her. A relationship is nothing if one person doesn't trust the other," Zeke said. Taylor nodded. Zeke clapped a hand on her back.

- - - - - - - -

"YOU'RE BREAKING UP WITH ME?" Sharpay screeched, "I knew it. You were cheating on me. Now you're dumping me for _her_."

"No! This is why I'm breaking up with you. Why are you so insecure of our relationship? I never cheated on you and was never intending on doing so. If you don't trust me, if you don't trust us, then this isn't going to work out. I'm sorry, Sharpay," Zeke said. He walked away from her, leaving her upset and mad.

Gabriella, who had seen this scene, tried to tiptoe away without being seen by Sharpay. Alas, "GABRIELLA!" Sharpay shrieked. Gabriella sighed and slowly turned around. "Can you believe it? Zeke broke up with me. Me! Nobody has ever dumped Sharpay Evans. Nobody. Do you hear me? NOBODY!" Sharpay said.

"Actually, I can believe it. You had no right of accusing Zeke of cheating on you. I'm siding with him on this one. Just because your ex cheated on you, that doesn't mean that Zeke will. He's a really sweet guy, Sharpay. You just ruined a really good thing," Gabriella replied. She walked away. Sharpay's shoulders slumped. She knew that what Gabriella was saying was true. Sharpay knew that she blew it.

- - - - - - - -

Kelsi and Jason were sitting under a tree in the park. They were talking and catching up. Suddenly, Jason became serious. He took hold of Kelsi's hands and stared her in the eyes. "Kels, I have a serious question," he told her. Kelsi, startled by his sudden change of mood, sat up straighter and nodded.

"Shoot," she said. Jason reached into his pocket and pulled out a box. He opened it up and took the ring out and showed it to her. She looked at it curiously.

"This is a promise ring," he explained, "I have one too," he pulled out another box, "We've been talking a lot about our futures and how we both want a future together. I want to take us one step closer to that. I promise that I will love you forever, and that right after graduation, I will present you with an engagement ring." Kelsi gasped.

"Jason, I love it! I love you. I love you so much," Kelsi replied.

"I love you, Kels. To Pluto and back," Jason said. Kelsi smiled and kissed him happily.


	16. Chapter 15

**A/N- **Thanks to all who reviewed on the last chapter. Sorry again for the gap between updates. I've been crazy busy.

**Disclaimer- **I do not own HSM.

Sharpay was in the Montez's kitchen. Gabriella had called Zeke and told him to come over later that night. Gabriella and her mom were going to go out to dinner. Sharpay had devised a plan on how to get Zeke back. She would have Gabriella call Zeke and tell him to come over, she and her mom would leave, Sharpay would cook dinner for herself and Zeke, and hopefully she would have her boyfriend back again. So far, it wasn't working out too well. Sharpay ran through the kitchen checking up on one thing and stirred another. Her apple pie started to burn and smoke began to rise out of one of the pans. Sharpay threw herself onto the floor and started crying.

- - - - - - - -

Zeke stood in front of the Montez house. He had rung the doorbell twice now, and no one had answered the door. He turned the knob and found out that the door was unlocked. He let himself in, knowing that Gabriella wouldn't mind that he did so. He walked into the kitchen and saw Sharpay on the floor, crying. He looked around the mess of the kitchen and saw that dishes were burning and pots were bubbling out of control.

Zeke quickly placed the cookies he had brought on the counter and turned off the stove. He then sat down next to Sharpay and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. "Shh, it's okay, it's okay," he said over and over, rocking her gently back and forth. Her crying subsided. She took a deep breath.

"I'm so sorry, Zeke. I ruined the whole night. I had dinner all planned out. I was going to cook and everything, but then things went out of control," Sharpay said, "I love you so much, Zeke. I'm sorry for being a paranoid brat. I was just afraid of losing you. So afraid that it led to me losing you. Is there any way that you'll take me back?"

"Sharpay, you didn't have to go through all of this to prove that you loved me. Just coming over and saying it would have helped. I love you too, and I always will," Zeke replied.

"I know I didn't have to do this, but I wanted to. I ended up making a disaster, though," Sharpay said. Zeke laughed.

"Why don't we clean up the kitchen and then I'll take you out to dinner?" he offered.

"Sounds great," Sharpay said. Zeke kissed her on the cheek then got up. He extended a hand for her and helped her up. The two started throwing away the ruined food and washing all of the dishes. After the kitchen was spotless again, Zeke drove himself and Sharpay to the restaurant of her choice.

After dinner, they went back to the Montez's house so Sharpay could get her car back and drive home.

"Thanks for an amazing night," Sharpay said.

"No, thank you," Zeke replied. He kissed her gently. She got out of his car, blew him a kiss, then got into her car and drove away.

Gabriella smiled through the window of her house. She had seen this little scene taking place. She sighed, her work was done. Her friends were back together.

- - - - - - - -

A week later, everyone went back to their college. They ended their spring break relaxed and content. Kelsi and Jason's as well as Sharpay and Zeke's relationships had grown stronger. Sharpay and Kelsi were sad to leave Zeke and Jason, but they knew it was necessary. They would be able to see them again in a few months, and there was such thing as a phone, e-mail, and video chat. Kelsi and Jason decided that whenever they had a free moment, they would sign on video chat and talk that way for as long as they could. Sharpay's busy schedule didn't allow her enough time to talk to Zeke via videochat, so they had decided that they would stay in contact by phone and e-mail.

Troy and Gabriella were sitting on a bench in the courtyard at Yale. Troy still had two days until he had to be back at UConn. They had their arms wrapped around each other, and were gazing at the stars.

"Troy, where do you see ourselves in the future?" Gabriella asked.

"Well, I see you and me married. We're going to live in a white house in Albuquerque with green shutters. We'll have a large backyard. We'll have kids, as many as you want. We'll have a dog or two. We'll be married and in love until the day that we die," Troy replied.

"Just one thing," Gabriella said, "I want a yellow house." Troy laughed.

"Deal," he said.

**A/N-** I know this is really short and I apologize. Again, I've been really, really busy, and I wanted to get something up. I'm going to start winding down on this story too. A few more chapters then it's done. Thanks again to all who reviewed on the last chapter. Please review on this one (even though it's uber-short)!


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